Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

by

Sarah Vowell

Christopher Densmore Character Analysis

A prominent Quaker historian, Christopher Densmore befriends Vowell in a Quaker Meeting House near the spot where the Battle of Brandywine took place. Densmore—who holds the Quaker ideal of non-violence dear—is important for his belief that American history is defined most of all by violent conflict. Vowell does not agree with this idea.

Christopher Densmore Quotes in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The Lafayette in the Somewhat United States quotes below are all either spoken by Christopher Densmore or refer to Christopher Densmore . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon
).
Pages 60-125 Quotes

Just as Densmore’s religious ethics seemed to filter through his nonfiction, my background bubbles up into mine. Having studied art history, as opposed to political history, I tend to incorporate found objects into my books. Just as Pablo Picasso glued a fragment of furniture onto the canvas of Still Life with Chair Caning, I like to use whatever’s lying around to paint pictures of the past—traditional pigment like archival documents but also the added texture of whatever bits and bobs I learn from looking out bus windows or chatting up the people I bump into on the road.”

Related Characters: Sarah Vowell (speaker), Christopher Densmore
Page Number: 113
Explanation and Analysis:
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Christopher Densmore Character Timeline in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States

The timeline below shows where the character Christopher Densmore appears in Lafayette in the Somewhat United States. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 60-125
Democracy, Disagreement, and Compromise Theme Icon
Landscape and Historical Memory Theme Icon
Youthful Glory vs. Mature Leadership Theme Icon
Vowell chats with Christopher Densmore, whom she later learns is one of the country’s most important Quaker scholars. Densmore explains... (full context)
Landscape and Historical Memory Theme Icon
Though they disagree on some things, Vowell and Densmore share their concern that Americans are forgetting their own history—for example, more than half of... (full context)